Renewable energy sources are changing the paradigms of energy policy, regulation and market design. By now, all electricity-related initiatives, including supply, transmission, delivery and consumption, are directly or indirectly influenced by the expansion and integration of renewable energy.

As a result, market actors have to adapt their commercial strategies to new market conditions, system operators have to engage in a new collaboration, integration and balancing tasks, and policy makers and regulators must consider new support schemes, financial incentivisation and regulation activities in the path towards a carbon-neutral energy system. For this reason, every energy industry professional is now directly or indirectly involved with regulating and integrating renewable energy.

Based on praxis-driven lectures and through interactive discussion with renowned specialists and active group work, the course seeks to contrast current and future regulatory actions needed for the steady development and integration of renewable energy and their implications for the electricity markets and networks, underlying the importance of stronger coordination and cooperation between the various actors involved with the final aim of maximising the benefits of renewable energy deployment.

This training course takes its starting point in the EU, and its Member States, but its focus is not limited to the Old Continent: case studies from America, Africa and Asia will be presented, too.

After completing this course, you’ll be able to:

• To inspect national renewable energy goals and how are they synchronised with Europe’s action plan, also from the perspective of the new governance of energy and climate policy
• To categorise the growing technical and economic challenges and implications for the integration of renewable energy by the TSOs or DSOs.

You’ll get a hands-on learning experience with:

• Tools to implement renewable energy regulation and projects for RES market integration in all segments of the power system
• Auction designs for effectively procuring renewable energy investments
• Examples of successful company strategies to implement a renewable energy portfolio

• Introduction to the governance of renewable energy
• Introduction to the economics of renewable energy sources
• Market integration of renewable energy – general concepts
• Supporting RES uptake – market-based investment in generation capacity
• Integration of RES in liberalised wholesale electricity markets – market-based dispatch of generation
• Impact and integration of RES in electricity system operation and grid planning
• Trends in global renewable energy markets & Case studies of regulation and market integration in liberalised electricity systems
• Beyond electricity: Renewables integration across sectors
• New policy developments in the EU and their impact on renewable energy

The training is developed for:

• Professionals engaged in the sector
• Government agencies
• Regulatory bodies
• Energy companies (unregulated)
• Regulatory affairs department of energy companies including power generation companies, TSOs and DSOs
• Energy companies (regulated) Academics and researchers
• Academics in the field of electricity markets and regulation
• NGOs
• European Associations
• National Associations

No formal background on energy regulation is required. An educational background in engineering, economics or law is strongly recommended. The training is in English.

Following the success of the first edition, we are delighted to announce the 2nd FSR Alumni Day. This event provides former alumni with a special chance to reunite and remain informed about the latest policy advancements in their respective fields of study.

One of the sessions will be a continuation of the training on the Regulation and Integration of Renewable Energy course, scheduled for Friday, 25 October 2024, in Florence.

Should renewable energy characteristics drive electricity market re-design?

Course Directors: Lena Kitzing, Mario Ragwitz

Renewable energy is set to dominate Europe’s energy landscape. However, there’s a pressing debate on whether the current electricity market structure adequately caters to the unique characteristics of renewable energy technologies. This session delves into strategies for better alignment between renewable energy traits and electricity market design. Should we overhaul market frameworks to suit these new characteristics? Or should we tweak renewable energy projects for smoother integration into existing markets? Perhaps a combination of both, or entirely different approaches? We’ll delve into enhancing market integration, discussing methods to improve decision-making and flexibility in renewable energy projects. This includes smart contract designs and support schemes, along with sector coupling options to enhance the value of variable renewable technologies in the market. We’ll also explore how a multi-criteria approach can better select projects for system and market integration. Lastly, we’ll examine whether innovative electricity market designs can alleviate current integration challenges faced by renewable energy technologies. Throughout, we’ll highlight the synergy between renewable energy policy and electricity market design, and its connection to other energy markets.

Learn more and register for the FSR Alumni Day

Each year, the Florence School of Regulation – Energy and Climate (FSR Energy & Climate) awards scholarships for a wide variety of training courses targeting a broad audience of professionals and academics.

Applications will be assessed by a Selection Committee of FSR members on a yearly basis. The successful candidates will be informed after February 2024 and will be provided with all relevant information on how to enroll in the online course or residential training of their choice.

Send your application by 2 February 2025.

Find more information here

Fees

• General fee: 3,000 EUR
• Associate Donor 10%: 2.700 EUR
• Major Donor 20%: 2.400 EUR
• Star Donor 25%: 2.250 EUR

Cancellation Policy

Paid registration fee is non-refundable. However, registrant substitution may be made up to 20 days before the course’s start date. 

Please arrange your travel and accommodation as soon as possible as Florence is very popular in this period.

Please note that the course fee does not cover travel and accommodation costs.

This is a fully residential training course, and classes will be held in Florence on 29 Spetember – 1 October 2025.
By submitting your application, you are committing to pay the corresponding fee.

Event venue
Sala Europa
Villa Schifanoia,
Via Giovanni Boccaccio 121,
I-50133 Firenze – Italy

Local transportation
Villa Schifanoia is easily reachable by taxi from Florence centre or from Fiesole (about 20€) and from Florence Airport (about 35€).

If you prefer public transport (ticket 1,50€ to be bought in official ticket offices, machines and authorised retailers that display the Autolinee Toscane sticker):

• Take bus number 7 from the main railway station (bus stop: Stazione Nazionale) and get off at the stop ‘San Domenico 01’ (map) From there walk to our main building, Badia Fiesolana (map). Once there, ask the porters to direct you to the internal path connecting our campus (5-minute walk)

Or:

• From the main railway station (bus stop: Stazione Nazionale) take bus n. 1B and get off at the last stop: Boccaccio Cino da Pistoia (map). Then walk up the hill to Villa Schifanoia (map)